THE COLONY OF LOST SOULS
Chapter Three

"Civilians and commandos alike saw a warrior, a faulty one at that, but somewhere deep down lay a girl that is that much more. She loved the colour red and ice cream and had dreams when she was little; things that she wanted to do that she’d never have the chance at."- Chapter Three

Buffy watched as the mysterious stranger faded into the distance, overwhelmed with emotion. So much, in fact, that she found herself almost powerless to move away. He had been a handsome man; with short, dark hair and a tall, well built body clad fully in black. But his eyes; that was what she couldn’t get off her mind. Those deep chocolate brown orbs that had been watching her so intensely. Captivating, they created an almost magnetic pull towards him, when their eyes locked she felt something so unreal… something she couldn’t quite place. Unnerving as it was, Buffy found herself suddenly filled with uncertainty about a man that she didn’t even know.

Shaking her head, she pulled on her helmet and sped through the streets of the dark city, heading to the building that her surrogate father, Rupert Giles, called home. Buffy had never known her birth parents; she, like most other warriors, had been taken from them at a very young age. Giles was the closest thing she had to a father. He had trained her all of her life and knew her better than most anyone could acclaim. Buffy, who was almost twenty, had moved out a few months before and into her own space.

Coming to the familiar dwelling that she used to call home, Buffy slowed to a stop and headed up the short path. Giles was one of the few trainers who had chosen to live outside one of the complexes; he had built his own library and gym inside the building to accommodate Buffy’s training, and although the gym was similar to the ones in the complex, his library was enormous. Entering the large building, she looked around for the ‘stuffy British man’ himself.

Shrugging, she quickly decided on a different approach.
“ GILES!!” she yelled

A few moments later, an unmistakably English voice rang out and a familiar mentor came into view.
“ Buffy would you please stop yelling like that? It’s extremely unnecessary, I was in the library, all you had to was look.”

Buffy smiled,
“ Could-a, would-a, should-a, didn’t.”

Giles sighed and walked back into his adopted office.
“ I do hope that you have something productive to share, given the urgency of your holler.”

Buffy followed behind and jumped up on his desk.
“ Nope, not really. Patrol was as usual, a new vamp, but no biggie. Gunn caught me on my way back again though, snooping around the streets like that. Really, it’s a good thing he’s the one on night patrols around here.”

“Yes well, I have yet to meet anyone who is immune to your ‘puppy-eyes’ as you call them.”

“Just part of my irresistible charm.” With that her thoughts turned back to the stranger from before, her mind once again becoming perplexed.

“Buffy, are you alright?”

“What?” Buffy said, breaking from her thoughts. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Umm… Giles, is there anyone new coming into town?”

Giles raised an eyebrow,
“ Yes, as a matter of fact. There was an announcement issued by the council yesterday, they’ve apparently let a vampire into the compound. They assure everyone that he’s quite harmless however it’s somewhat difficult to imagine a peaceful of its kind. I’d imagined you’ve already heard--”

“A VAMPIRE? They let a vampire into the compound and no one even thought to tell me? You could have warned me you know, I should be on my guard-- all warrior like! I need to know these things Giles!!” Buffy groaned and slumped into a nearby chair, the guy’s eyes did catch her attention and now she knew exactly why. Pricks.

“Buffy I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but I assumed you knew. And why exactly are you so concerned, you’ve never bothered much with what goes on in the colony. Did something happen tonight?”

Buffy sighed, knowing the hopelessness of a lie.
“ I saw the guy on my way back. Gunn and his men were taking him somewhere; I didn’t even notice him until they started to go. He was staring at me, I looked at him and it was like…”

“Like what Buffy?”

“…I can’t describe it Giles. I haven’t felt like it before, anyway. I’ve been around vamps before, and this one… he’s different.”

Giles considered this for a moment,
“ I see. Well, if what the council says is true and he is in fact peaceful, perhaps may have something to do with your reaction to him.”

“I guess, I just can’t help but think this guy’s trouble. I mean ‘peaceful or not’...” trailing off, Buffy shook her head, “look, Giles, I’m way beyond tired so I think I’m just gonna head home okay?”

Giles sighed, inwardly noting that she was avoiding the subject.
“ Alright Buffy, sleep well. And remember if you need anything, I’ll be here.”

Buffy gave him a weak smile.
“ Thanks, I’ll stop by tomorrow before I head out. Tell you if anything comes up.”

With that, Buffy quickly and headed out and to her complex. It was large, most of the residents there were warriors like herself, but unlike most of them she had yet to be put on active duty. Giles, luckily had taken pity on her long ago and allowed her to do brief patrols, but technically she wasn’t allowed in any active combat. After parking her bike, Buffy moved through the halls and up a few flights of stairs until she reached her apartment. She had purposely selected one away from other people, not wanting to have to worry about neighbours. At least that’s what she told Giles; really she was just sick of being treated like a kid, as most of the on-duty warriors considered her to be.

Sighing, she opened the door and threw her jacket on the couch. Her apartment truly a portrait of the standard issue designs. Most of the furniture was made from metal, and any fabrics were a gold colour with some bright red accents. She had a few photos here and there; of Giles or her sister Tara. But for the most part the apartment was bare, even her bedroom was somewhat plain. It had a light orange and yellow colour scheme, but that was mostly because Tara had insisted that Buffy “needed some colour”, and although Buffy had a few small knick-knacks scattered through the room it didn’t look very lived in. Probably because it wasn’t, mind you.

After changing into her pyjamas, Buffy laid down on her bed and picked up her stuffed pig Mr. Gordo. Giles had given it to her as a birthday gift when she was four and it had been her best friend ever since. However, there was always the off time when not even her fuzzy pink friend could clear her head.

Truthfully, Buffy wasn’t always happy with her life. It had revolved around Council’s orders and training for a long time now; she didn’t have friends, she didn’t party, but most of all no one really knew her for who she was. Civilians and commandos alike saw a warrior, a faulty one at that, but somewhere deep down lay a girl that is that much more. She loved the colour red and ice cream and had dreams when she was little; things that she wanted to do that she’d never have the chance at. Help people, see the world, buy a nice house somewhere, fall in love.

/Fall in love…/

The thought brought her back to her earlier experience with the man she saw. She didn’t even know him, but was sure that there was a lot more to him than the council was letting on. She wanted—almost needed to see him again; to find out his story, why he’s here, hell she’d even bargain for his shoe size. The burning questions in the back of her mind drove her insane, there must be some reason for him sticking in her mind so profoundly. Only he could give her the answers she needed, the problem was, she wasn’t even sure if she knew the questions.

Banishing those thoughts from her mind, she rolled over and eventually fell to sleep. Maybe tomorrow things would get a little bit better...

 

End of Chapter Three.

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